In some modern communication systems, when a wireless device submits a request to access communications carrier networks, the request is sent to an accounting system, such as an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) system, where accounting records, primarily used for billing and reporting, are created. The AAA system may also process the accounting records for use by other elements in the communication system. Often, a wireless device will be associated with a usage data record that is periodically updated as the wireless device changes location or functions. This usage data record is designed to hold a large amount of diverse data and consequently may be a large data file.
Since wireless devices often have the ability to change location during operation, updated location information may be required by various elements of the communication system. As the wireless device changes location, additional usage data records containing the updated location information are provided to the AAA system. These updated usage data records may vary from the initial usage data record only in fields related to the location of the wireless device, while data in all of the other fields remain unchanged.